


Together Forever

by DarkShade



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Angst, Depression, Episode: s02e16 Doomworld, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, RipFic, Timeship Week 2019, complicated relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 15:44:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20293960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkShade/pseuds/DarkShade
Summary: Trapped alone in the Waverider by the 'Legion of Doom'  Gideon does her best to keep Rip from  sinking into his depression.





	Together Forever

**Author's Note:**

> For TimeShip Week Day 1: Doomworld Day - An homage to when Rip and Gideon were stuck on the Waverider together and lived like an old married couple.  
This was quite a hard one to do but I managed and hope you enjoy.

Alone.

He was alone on his ship.

Except he wasn’t.

“Gideon?”

“I’m here, Captain.”

Dropping onto his bed, Rip lay back and stared at the ceiling, letting out a relieved sigh he breathed, “You always are.”

“I have detected a major shift in the timestream,” Gideon told him.

“That’s because we failed, Gideon,” Rip told her sadly, “The ‘Legion of Doom’ used the Spear to change reality thanks to Mr Rory. The crew are gone, and I’m trapped here.”

He lay in silence contemplating his latest complete and utter failure. Only this time he hadn’t only failed his family, he had failed everyone.

“Are you blaming yourself, Captain?” Gideon’s voice cut through his wallowing.

Rip grimaced, hating that she could read him like a book.

“Mr Rory’s betrayal was not your fault,” Gideon reminded him, “There were circumstances which you had no control over. You were not even here for them.”

Rip let out a bark of sarcastic laughter, “You mean if I hadn’t used the time core to scatter myself, I would have been here to notice what was happening with him.”

“I said, and believe, nothing of the sort,” Gideon stated sharply, “And I thank you not to put words in my mouth.”

Rubbing his hand across his face Rip grimaced, “Do you have any idea where the rest of the crew are?”

“I’m afraid I currently have no access outside the ship, Captain,” Gideon told him softly, “My main systems are running on back-up reserves and solar. Whatever has happened to us, it has caused a massive drain on the power.”

Nodding Rip sat up again, “Okay. So, first thing first I need to fix our power problem then we’ll look for the team.”

Gideon watched him try to repair the ship so that they could move from wherever they were berthed and find the crew.

Rip worked tirelessly at first. Spurred on by the hope of seeing the people who had become a surrogate family to him. A hope which faltered as the days, then weeks, went by with no success.

Sadness filled Gideon when she witnessed the precise moment he gave up. He pulled the bottle of scotch from its hiding place and, instead of the one glass he normally poured himself at night, Rip simply drank it all from the bottle.

The next day he began to wander the ship, a bottle in his hand in a way reminiscent to the way he had in the days and weeks after Miranda and Jonas died.

Gideon knew her Captain better than anyone. She knew she needed to find a way to distract him from his depression before it took hold completely.

Thankfully her Captain had some skills and passions that he had never shown to the Legends. One being a love of cooking.

Rip had bonded with Mary Xavier as a child because she had him help her make meals or bake treats when he first arrived at the refuge. As a little boy who had spent so much time alone unable to trust anyone, the love and affection she offered had been appealing. Cooking with her had imprinted Mary on him like a baby bird.

He enjoyed making meals from scratch, especially for the people he loved.

With this in mind, Gideon persuaded him to try to bake cakes that he could then use to welcome the crew back home once they found them.

It worked, to a certain extent.

But Gideon knew she needed other ways to distract him.

*********************************************

Rip opened his eyes confused. 

He remembered being in the galley, trying to make the perfect triple chocolate cake Gideon had found a recipe for. There had been a discussion about adding whiskey to it and then…

He grimaced confused to be standing on a white sandy beach, waves from the deep blue ocean gently lapping the shoreline. Looking down he saw he was barefoot and could feel the sand between his toes. The sun was shining in the deep blue sky that had a few wispy white clouds and Rip found sunglasses on his face, protecting his eyes.

“What the hell is going on?” Rip snapped.

“I thought that you could use a holiday, Captain,” Gideon’s voice made him turn.

Rip stared as she walked towards him wearing a red bikini top and a red wraparound skirt, her hair falling around her shoulders with a red flower tucked in it.

“Gideon?” he asked, before saying quickly at the forming pout, “You look lovely and this place is amazing.”

A bright smile covered her face, “Thank you, Captain.”

“What are we doing here?” he asked, “Aren’t you meant to be trying to restore power?”

Gideon folded her arms and replied, “I am. However, since you have passed out in a drunken stupor, I thought we could take some time to relax on a beach.”

“Which beach exactly?” Rip demanded, ignoring her jibe about his drinking while trying to find some clue as to what memory she’d picked.

“It is an amalgamation of several places,” Gideon replied, walking towards a sunbed that had appeared from nowhere and laying back on it, “I thought this would be relaxing.”

A table with a tall glass filled with some pink liquid, ice and fruit appeared beside her and Gideon lifted it taking a long drink. Glancing over to him, she asked archly, “Are you joining me?”

Rip took a step forward seeing the sunbed was now big enough for him to lie at her side. With a soft sigh, Rip lay down, finding it extremely comfortable. Staring at the wispy clouds in the blue sky, Rip felt Gideon’s hand slide into his.

Gripping onto her tightly, he whispered, “I don’t know what to do to fix this, Gideon.”

“I know, Captain,” she soothed, “We will work on it together but for now, let’s enjoy our holiday.”

Smiling, Rip kept a hold of her hand as he lifted the drink from the table beside him and clinked glasses with her.

*********************************************

Music floated through the air when Rip opened his eyes. He looked around the ballroom filled with people all dressed in their finery. Glancing down he saw he was in a dinner suit, one he had worn on missions and smiled slightly. Every few days Gideon brought him to a new scenario.

“Dancing tonight?” he asked.

Turning to where he knew Gideon was walking towards him, Rip gaped. The dress she wore was black, off the shoulder with a split up one leg. There were small diamond embellishments on the bodice, and it fit her perfectly.

“Do you like, Captain?” she asked with a shy sweet smile, giving a small twirl to show off the full dress.

Taking her hand, Rip placed a gentle kiss on it, “You look beautiful.”

She blushed before fixing his tie, “And you are very handsome in this suit. I have always liked it.”

“So,” he smiled, “Are we dancing tonight?”

Gideon nodded, “If you wish.”

Rip wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her close taking her hand in his, “That sounds like a good way to spend the evening.”

She smiled as he started them moving, the music bright allowing Rip to spin her around the ballroom. The music remained lively for the next few dances before it changed. As the slow romantic tune began, Rip drew Gideon closer smiling when she rested her head against his shoulder.

Holding onto his best friend, Rip admitted to himself how much he liked to spend time with her in this way. Gideon had always been different from the other AI’s, especially when it came to her emotions. She would on occasion enter his dreams to talk to him, usually at a highly stressful or emotional time although there was the occasional telling off for being reckless. She had also liked to spend time within Miranda’s dreams. From what he’d been told they enjoyed going ice-skating.

Despite everything that had happened from losing his family to losing himself, Rip had always had Gideon and found his feelings for her more complex than he’d ever realised.

The kiss they’d shared recently had only helped him recognise that, but he knew it had been happening for a long time.

Not wanting to think about that or get into such complicated territory tonight, Rip just held her and danced to the music.

*********************************************

Gideon watched her Captain trying to make a fondant bow, with some difficulty due to the fact it was not an easy task, but also because he was half-way through a bottle of scotch.

They were coming up on a year since they had found themselves in this situation. He had stopped getting dressed properly, and personal grooming had gone out the window. His beard was uneven while his hair stuck up in all directions as the depression and isolation took its toll.

As a Time Master despite spending most of his time alone on the ship with only her for company he always had missions to go on, reports to make to the Council and his family to visit. But this was true isolation and Gideon was only a physical presence for him when he was unconscious.

There had always been times she had wished for a corporeal form to help her Captain but no more than now.

She did her best to keep him in good spirits and sometimes, like today where he was being productive, it worked but other days it didn’t, and her suggestions would only make him angry where he would yell at her and call her names before ending up in a corner huddled in a ball begging her not to leave him too. Those days, once he was sleeping and in whatever setting she created for them Rip would apologise profusely.

She hated that he was lost in this despair, Gideon cared about him much more deeply than an AI should be able to. He called her special for her emotional capabilities, but Gideon believed that it was only because of him she was different.

Watching over him, Gideon waited until he was near the stage he would pass out and guide him to the med-bay. It made it easier for her to connect with him while detoxing his system from the alcohol he’d ingested.

Rip looked around seeing trees, grass and what appeared to be pond or lake of some sort.

“I thought we could take a walk in the park,” Gideon said from his side.

Turning he smiled to see her in a pair of denim shorts and a yellow gypsy style blouse. Her hair was pinned up and sunglasses were perched on her nose.

“That sounds nice,” Rip offered his arm, smiling when she hugged him close, “Let’s go.”

They strolled along the path, admiring the flowers and watching the different animals that were running around. Some very different and unusual to find in a park.

“Gideon?”

“Yes, Captain.”

Rip tried not to smile too much while he asked, “Is there a reason there are Meerkats running around a park?”

“I like them,” Gideon replied, crouching down to pet the creature that came running over to her.

“Of course you do,” Rip chuckled softly watching her gently stroke the creature’s fur, “Come on, Snow White.”

Gideon laughed and took his arm again. As they walked several little birds and butterflies settled on her shoulders.

“You’re pushing the analogy now,” Rip noted with amusement.

She grinned at him, waving away the creatures, “Better?”

“If you get rid of the trail of rabbits and squirrels who have been following us,” Rip said turning back to where the cute furry creatures sat waiting expectantly.

Shaking her head, “You can be so boring sometimes, Captain.”

“I prefer not to be in a Disney movie,” he retorted.

She gave a disappointed pout, “Then you don’t want to hear them sing?”

Rip began to laugh and hugged her close, “If you want them to sing, then on you go.”

Gideon grinned at him and they started walking again while a chorus of ‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’ began.

Chuckling Rip leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Gideon’s temple.

*********************************************

“Gideon, I've finally perfected my fondant bows,” Rip motioned to his creation, “What do you think?”

Your technique has vastly improved over the last year, Captain,” Gideon replied encouragingly, “These cakes are so much more creative than your biscuits.”

Rip nodded before smiling, “Now, credit where credit is due, Gideon. Your idea of adding more gelatine to the mixture was pivotal.”

“Well done,” Gideon praised him “The best one yet, in my humble opinion.”

Rip smiled at the approval before letting out a sigh, “It's a shame that you're the only one here to appreciate it.”

“I'm sure your team would be just as impressed,” Gideon soothed.

“Assuming that they're all still alive,” Rip found the bottle he had sitting nearby and took a drink.

Gideon suggested, “Perhaps you should resume your efforts to send a message out.”

Sitting dejectedly, Rip sighed. “What's the point, Gideon? The Legion have the Spear of Destiny. They're like gods now. There's no point in fighting. Not anymore.”

“Captain…”

“I thought we could make a white chocolate cheesecake,” Rip told her changing the subject.

Sadly, Gideon watched him take another long drink, “That sounds nice, Captain.”

“Gideon,” Rip cried suddenly sitting up from his prone position on the floor, “I've discovered the missing ingredient for my recipe. Rum,” the empty bottle he was holding clattered to the ground, “And speaking of which, I'm going to need you to fabricate me another bottle of it,” he paused and added, “Ooh, and some nachos.”

“I will do nothing of the sort,” Gideon stated.

Rip blinked in surprise, “What?” he frowned before yelling, “You will do as I tell you, Gideon, I'm your captain.”

Sharply she replied, “Then it's time for you to start acting like one,” he blinked again stunned and Gideon snapped, “Now, sit up straight and show your backbone, Captain Hunter.”

“Gideon,” Rip sighed defeated, “For the thousandth time, I've got no way of getting the reserve power back online, and I've got no way of sending out any signal of any sort, which means that I am destined to live out the rest of my days right here,” he paused before snarling, “With you.”

“While you were honing your confectionary skills,” Gideon ignored him, “I've been working on new algorithms to redirect power from the idle quadrants of the ship. You need to focus on boosting your distress signal once power is fully back online.”

Rip frowned in thought.

“Now,” Gideon said, “Chin up, Captain.”

“I don't know if I can do this, Gideon,” Rip whispered.

Softly Gideon reminded him, “I believe in you.”

Rip smiled, just those four words made him feel as though he could do anything. 

“Now,” Gideon said decisively, “Let's get to work.”

Rip nodded, “First,” he held up his hand, “I'm going to vomit. And second,” he pushed himself to his feet a little unsteadily, “Let's do this.

“Captain,” Gideon said as she watched him throw up in the nearest bin, “Please allow me to perform a full detox first.”

Letting out a sigh, still leaning over in case he threw up again, Rip nodded, “Good idea”

Gideon stood on the bridge, looking down she stared confused to see that she was wearing a long white dress.

“You look incredible,” Rip spoke up as he walked towards her looking like her Captain once more.

Confused Gideon moved to him, “I did not choose this setting or outfit.”

“I did,” Rip smiled, taking her hand, “I need you to know how much you mean to me, Gideon.”

A loving smile touched her lips, “I do know, Captain.”

He shook his head, “Not the extent,” placing his hand on her cheek he breathed, “Gideon, you are my best friend and my confidant. Any strength I have comes from you and your belief in me.”

“Captain…” she whispered before changing her mind, “Rip, you have always been brilliant. From the moment you stepped onboard my ship I knew that.”

Rip smiled resting his forehead against hers, “I know I’m difficult to live with. I know I don’t deserve your loyalty or your affection, but I am so grateful for it. So grateful to have you, Gideon.”

“You’re mine, Captain,” Gideon reminded him, “Nothing will change that.”

Rip stepped back, still holding her hand, “I chose this dress for you because I wanted to make a few vows.”

“What?”

“From now on,” he whispered, “We’re partners. Always.”

Looking up at him with a smile, Gideon nodded, “Always.”

Closing the space between them Rip pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss, Gideon responded deepening the kiss. They parted slowly and Rip smiled at her.

“That was even nicer than before,” she sighed.

“Good,” Rip replied, “Because I vow to be yours, if you vow to be mine.”

Gideon nodded, surprised when a gold band appeared on her finger, “Impressive, Rip.”

“You can fabricate one for me when I wake up,” Rip murmured.

“You have to do that soon,” Gideon told him, “We need to save the others and stop the Legion of Doom.”

Rip sighed before he nodded, “Okay, Partner. Let’s get to work.”

“In a minute,” Gideon said, moving closer and kissing him once more.

Opening his eyes in the med-bay, Rip removed the medical cuff and slid off the couch. Pausing at the fabricator he picked up the gold band and slid it on. Heading up to the bridge he gently caressed the main console where Gideon’s avatar sat, before he climbed into the pilot’s seat and powered the systems up.

“Alright, Gideon,” Rip smiled, “Let’s do this.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Rip held up his hand, “Yes what?”

Gideon chuckled, “Rip.”

“That’s my girl,” he smiled.

“Always.”


End file.
